Discover fascinating stories from the profiles of the legends who will arrive in Bulgaria especially for the tournament
The fighting event of the year – SENSHI 28 Grand Prix – will present serious and explosive clashes in the spectacular 95+ kg category at the beach arena in St. St. Constantine and Helena Resort, Varna, Bulgaria on September 13. This will be the first tournament of its kind for SENSHI in the heaviest competition format, known in combat sports from the legendary years of K-1.
But what makes SENSHI 28 Grand Prix a truly historic event is more than just the scale of the tournament. It is the presence of six legends whose names are written in golden letters in the history of the K-1 Grand Prix. They are not only witnesses of this format – they are its embodiment. They are the fighters that hundreds of thousands of fans around the world applauded in the arenas and halls of Tokyo, Osaka, Amsterdam, and many other major cities across the globe. They are the men who know what it means to step into the ring and endure several grueling battles in a single night. Only they know the price of every victory – the pain, the exhaustion, the strategies, and the will to stay on your feet when the body wants to give up.
Now these very icons are coming to Bulgaria – not as competitors, but as judges, referees, and guardians of the high standard of the Grand Prix. Ernesto Hoost, Semmy Schilt, Francisco Filho, Nicholas Pettas, Andy Souwer, and Albert Kraus will join us to pass on their knowledge and spirit to the new generation of fighters and to revive the greatness of one of the most emblematic formats in combat sports.
Ernesto Hoost is a four-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, Savate World Champion, ISKA Full Contact World Champion, and Muay Thai World Champion, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of KWU SENSHI. In the world of combat sports, Ernesto Hoost is considered one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. His nickname “Mr. Perfect” comes from his ability to perform complex combinations with almost machine-like precision.
In the legendary K-1 Grand Prix 1993, which was the very first edition of the K-1 World Grand Prix, Ernesto Hoost defeated Peter Aerts by judges’ decision in the quarterfinals, knocked out Maurice Smith in the semifinals, and reached the final of the tournament, where he was defeated by Branko Cikatić. He later won his Grand Prix titles decisively in 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Semmy Schilt is a four-time K-1 Grand Prix Champion, K-1 World Champion, Glory Grand Slam 16-man Tournament Champion, Glory World Champion, three-time King of Pancrase, and two-time World Kudo Champion, as well as President of KWU SENSHI Europe and a member of the Board of Directors of KWU SENSHI. With three consecutive Grand Prix titles, Semmy Schilt set the bar very high for fighters seeking combat glory.
Thanks to his excellent physical conditioning and massive size, Semmy Schilt could exhaust opponents with long-range strikes. His technical style and endurance also made him extremely difficult to knock down – he was only knocked out twice in his entire kickboxing career. In a recent interview with the British sports media Bloody Elbow, he shared that he is ready to use his remarkable experience as the only kickboxer to win five major heavyweight tournaments to give advice to the fighters who will compete in the first SENSHI Grand Prix on September 13.
Nicholas Pettas is a European and World Karate Champion, the last uchi-deshi of Masutatsu Oyama, ring announcer of the SENSHI fight nights, and a member of the Board of Directors of KWU SENSHI. Pettas is the great champion of the K-1 Grand Prix in Japan in 2001. His victory came against the experienced Japanese karateka Akio Mori – Musashi, in front of a crowd of 40,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
At the end of his fighting career, Pettas achieved a sensational knockout victory against the South Korean giant Kim Yong-hyun at K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!! on December 31, 2007. In this fight, Pettas exhausted Kim, who was 39 cm taller and over 63 kg heavier than him, with a series of low kicks before knocking him out just 41 seconds into the second round. To this day, this knockout remains a record for the shortest fighter to stop a giant in stand-up combat sports. The height difference between the two fighters was truly remarkable – 1.78 m against 2.17 m.
Francisco Filho is a two-time K-1 Grand Prix Champion, 1999 Absolute World Kyokushin Champion, 1997 World Kyokushin Champion, four-time Brazilian Champion, three-time South American Champion, and one of the few fighters to complete the “100 fights challenge” (facing 100 opponents in a single day) in 1999 – and he did it twice, in Japan and in Brazil. He is President of KWU SENSHI South America and a member of the Board of Directors of KWU SENSHI.
The Brazilian champion Filho made his professional debut in K-1 on July 20, 1997, at the K-1 Dream 1997 tournament with a victory over one of the most beloved fighters of multiple generations – the karateka and kickboxer Andy Hug. Interestingly, Filho also has another victory over Andy Hug at the 5th Kyokushin World Championship in 1991, winning by knockout in the last second of the third round. His consecutive Grand Prix titles in 2000 – 2001 demonstrated his champion qualities and deservedly placed his name among the legends of combat sports.
Albert Kraus was the very first K-1 World MAX Tournament Champion in 2002, as well as the first SUPERKOMBAT Middleweight Champion. He also holds four additional world titles in kickboxing and Muay Thai and is a member of the Board of Directors of KWU SENSHI.
Driven to win, Albert Kraus needed only one minute to knock out Kaolan Kaovich with a striking combination and become the first-ever K-1 World Max Champion in 2002. Nicknamed “The Hurricane,” Kraus left behind an enormous fighting legacy – competing in 148 kickboxing matches with 115 victories, including an impressive 79 knockouts. With seven wins in boxing before that, he showed a strong and unyielding character, which seems to run in the family, as his son Gradus Kraus is now an emerging star in boxing.
Andy Souwer is a two-time K-1 MAX World Champion, four-time Shootboxing World Champion, Showtime 70MAX World Champion, and Muay Thai World Champion, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of KWU SENSHI.
This year marks 20 years since Souwer’s remarkable victory over the highly acclaimed fighter Buakaw Banchamek in the final of the K-1 World MAX 2005 Championship. That was the first of their three encounters, in which Andy Souwer holds two victories. Another interesting fact about the 2005 championship, which featured 16 elite fighters, is that Andy Souwer fought in the semifinals against Kazuya Yasuhiro – a reserve fighter who replaced Masato, who had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.
The very first SENSHI Grand Prix will also welcome several other world-renowned fighters with impressive titles and achievements, who will join the refereeing and judging team – Tariel Nikoleishvili, Zahari Damyanov, Jan Sokup, and Petar Martinov. Tickets for the international fight night are available through Eventim.bg – book now to secure the best seats near the arena of this historic Grand Prix tournament that is not to be missed.
On this pivotal September night on the Black Sea coast, the Grand Prix fighters must endure several consecutive tough matches, requiring exceptional physical and mental endurance from every contender for the title. It is a true test not only of the fighter’s character and willpower but also of strategy, focus, and an unrelenting thirst for victory.
Stay up to date with the latest news and details about SENSHI 28 at the official website senshi.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos: Semmy Shilt, personal archive, and SENSHI
SENSHI 28 Grand Prix is organized in cooperation with the KWU International Professional League, as well as with the special support of Armeec Insurance Company, MAX Sport, Bulgaria Air, M Car Group – BMW dealer and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Service, and St. St. Constantine and Helena Holding.
The media partners of SENSHI 28 are Boec.bg and Boec.com, Bulgaria ON AIR, MAX Sport, TrillerTV, BeyondKick, Dir.bg, KWUnion.com, KyokushinKarate.News, Fighto.News and Novinata.bg.
